Japan Earthquake

Background:

• Took place on 11th March 2011.
• 9.0 on the Richter Scale
• Caused by Destructive plate margin: Pacific Plate (oceanic) and Eurasian Plate (continental)

Primary Effects:

• 15,400 people died.
• 144,000 buildings were destroyed.
• Gas, electricity and water supplies were damaged.
• Communication links and Road networks destroyed.
• Dam north of Fukishma burst it banks and destroyed many homes.
• A cruise ship carrying around 100 people swept away.
• 2 million made homeless, mainly due to Tsumani.

Secondary Effect

• Nuclear power plant in Fukishma leaked radioactive waste, due to failure in cooling system due to no electricity. The level of radioactivity 40,000 times the normal level.
• broken gas supplies meant that there was wide spread fires.
• Damaged water and electricity supplies meant that people had no access to clean water and food began to be poisonous.
• This meant dieases such as Cholera and Typhoid began to spread easily.

Intimidate Responses:

• Withing minutes Japanese emerancy teams were mobalised.
• Overall 100,000 began rescue and relief mission 
• Japanese Red cross sent 230 teams to worst hit areas.
• Schools setup to proivde sheter and 500,000 people lived in shelter.
• NGOs also helped (eg sheter box sent 1500 boxes of aid.)

Long Term Responses:

• The Japanese government reviewed it predction of earthquakes and Tsunami and made improvements
• They did this by improving communcation and sirens so people are more likely to be aware.
• The government also reviewed the Tsumani floodgates, which had been ineffective agiasnt the 30m high wave and made improvements.